Toy bowling alley



Dec, 2, 1924a E. F. GRADY TOY BOWLING ALLEY Filed Oct. 26, 1923 |||||||||l|||l||| l l I l l l l||||..||||||\l.|| l I I`|| Patented Dec.7 2, 1924.

EDWARD FRANCIS GRADY, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

TOY BOWLING ALLEY.

Application filed October 26, 1923. Serial No. 670,918

To all lwhom, 'it may concern:

. Be it known that EDWARD F. GRADY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and 6 State of California, has invented certain` new and useful Improvements in Toy Bowling Alleys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and im- 110 proved toy larly to a device of that character designed to represent, as nearly as possible the actual game of ten pins or duck pins.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a toy bowling alley embodying a practical construction admitting of cheapness and speed in assemblage that is strong and durable to withstand the hard usage to which a toy is usually and naturally put and which includes in addition to means to propel or project the ball or balls, new and novel means whereby the ball or balls may be returned to an operative position with respect to said projecting means along either of the alley and from a point immediately adjacent the pin pit.

In the drawings j F ig. 1, is a top plan view of the toy, with the cover removed.

3@ Fig. 2, is a view in longitudinal vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a view of transverse cross section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

In describing my invention in detail 10 represents generally the body portion of the device which is preferably in a form of an oblong boX having a removable lid shown in the present embodiment as a sliding closure 11. rllhe box and the lid may both be made of wood or any other suitable or desirable material.

At one end the inner side walls, end, and bottom are-cut away to provide a pin pit 12 and vertical shoulders 13 at the adjacent ends of the side walls. As is well known, the ten pins or duck pins 1A are adapted to be arranged in the well known fashion adjacent to pin pit, the bottom of the box forming the alley proper.

Adjacent the other end of the box the bottom portion 15 thereof is slightly cut away as at 16, while the end portion of the bon adjacent said cut away portion 16, is provided with a bearing socket 17 having r diametrically opposed recesses 18the said bowling alley and more particubearing socket providing a through opening in the respective end piece.

-The projecting means is shown in the present embodiment as a spring gun having a barrel 19 passing through the bearing socket 17 so that its inner end is positioned within the cut away portion 16 while its outer end projects exteriorly of the box. Intermediate its ends barrel 19 of the gun carries a spherical enlargement 20 forming a ball that Hts snugly in the bearing opening or socket 17r and the ball is in turn equipped with trunnions 21 that seat in rec esses 18. thus forming a fulcrum permit ting horizontal swinging movement of the inner end of the barrel. A plunger 22 .operated within the barrel 19 of the gun having a head 23 within the barrel to engage a ball 24, and 'a handle 25 positioned exexteriorly of the barrel and of the box to facilitate drawing the plunger backward. An expansion spring 26 surrounds the shank of the plunger 22 within the barrel 19, and bears against the rear end of the barrel and the head 23 of the plunger.` Consequently when the plunger is drawn rearwardly against the tension of the spring 26 and released the spring will return it to its normal position and propel the ball 24 barrel 19 and down the alley.

To facilitate the return of the ball 24 after it reaches the pit 12 1 provide the sides of the box with inclined passage ways 27 that are open at one end adjacent the upper end of the shoulders 13 opposite the pit 12. A supplemental end 28 is positioned against the end 29 of the boX and whose lower edge terminates in spaced relation to the bottom 15 in a plain in substantial alinement with the upper edge of the barrel 19. Adjacent the supplemental end 28 the passage ways 27 terminate in openings 30 that are open to passage ways 31 and 32 formed in the supplemental end and which slant downwardly and merge and a central point into a vertical\ opening or passage way 33 that opens directly above the barrel 19 of the gun. Below the opening33, a barrel 19 of the gun is provided with an aperture 3A whose edges are slightly uflared as at 35 to guide the ball 2A into the barrel.

When the ball is taken out of the pit 12 and inserted in one of the adjacent passage ways 27 it will roll downwardly toward forwardly, out of the at the same time the other end of the box due .to the incline of the passage ways, through one o the passage ways 31 or 32, and drop through openings 33 and 34 directly into the barrel 24. The ball may then be propelled down the alley again through operation of plung- Upon reference to Fig. 2 it will be observed that by mounting the barrel 24 partly within the cut away portion 16 the lower most part of the inner bore will lie substantially flush with the surface of the alley so that when the ball leaves the barrel it will take a smooth and direct course down the alley in the direction in which it is aimed. It will also be observed that the barrel 19 can be swung horizontally, the trunnions 18 forming its pivot and thus the operator may aim either directly down 20 the alley-or off center toward either side.

The pins 14 are designed to be substantially regulation in shape and appearance although the size of the toy necessitates their being made in only miniature form.

What is claimed is In a device of the character described, an alley structure having a pin pit at one end, a series `of pins adapted to be positioned on said alley structure adjacent said pin pit, a ball adapted to roll on said alley structure, means to propel the ball down the alley toward said pins, said propelling means including a barrel structure having its inner bore flush with the surface of said alley structure, and means to cause said ball when inserted in an opening adjacent said pin pit to be returned into said barrel struc* ture of said propelling means, automatically and of its own accord.

In testimony whereof I hereby signature.

EDWARD FRANCIS GRADY.

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